Samik Ghosh: A Great Leader Taking Students through a Journey of Self-Discovery

Director

If you still remember the Hollywood movie ‘Dead Poets Society’ almost 20 years after its release, it definitely says everything about how desperately our childhood wanted a school teacher like John Keating (played by Robin Williams), who strives to encourage his students to break free from the norm and live life unapologetically. Stories on reel are often just dreams, but it’s very much possible to get closer to those dream teacher-student relationships in real life. This embraces the story of Calorx Olive International School (COIS) and its Director – Samik Ghosh.

IB & More
Recall every school excursion you are familiar with. For some of us, it must be involving the memories of either a luxurious minibus filled with noisy chit-chats or the yellow school bus that has always been a part of our school life. But when the young COISians recently aspired about an adventurous activity, their Director took them cycling.. Being led by Samik, it’s not surprising that instead of culminating on a tired note, the students’ cycle-trip to the Bird Sanctuary in the rural area only intrigued them to know more about nature, birds, and how to photo-capture them to fit into aesthetic frames. Samik’s ability to lead from the front and be one among the students and teachers alike makes him one of the inspiring educational leaders.

A strong admirer of Rabindranath Tagore, Samik while heading a world class, academically stellar IB school like COIS (offering Primary Years, Middle Years & Diploma Programmes) and taking students to the pinnacle of academic excellence, never fails to remind his students that the glass-finished corporate rooms don’t necessarily have the greatest views of life. Instead, he makes sure that every student who joins COIS is taken through a journey of self-discovery realising his/her strength, passion, interests and everything else that matters. Spanning his complete professional journey, Samik’s vision has always been to engender a unique milieu inside schools that incorporates cross cultural values, probes students’ minds to curiosity in learning, excitement for modern knowledge and also builds respect for rural lives, arts & folk-arts. The result? Students imbibe moderns skills and thought process and learn to appreciate all kinds of diversity that we have in our

country. Educational processes, under his guidance, are is woven around the realities of contemporary life.

“We never confine our students within the requirements of (even the) IB. Instead, we encourage them to go beyond it. If they are interested in folk music, school makes sure that they travel to the hub and experience it in a hands-on way and even help them experiment on their own,” asserts Samik. He adds, “Indeed, as an Economics project, they have recently explored through research on women who sell breakfast on the streets near the office areas, pertaining to the time they spend and how much extra income they bring to their family.” It is in truth exemplary the way COIS provides hands on learning experience. For instance, the school invites artisans to work with the students. The students experiment with Coding, Electronics, Environment Focused gadgets alongside working with the rural school children to discuss hygiene reacted issue at puberty. Students of COIS have won international and national level prizes for making Robotic Limbs and Original Science Project on Aerodynamics. As an unique activity in today’s time Samik motivated the students and staff to tie Rakhis to all and sundry cutting across gender, religious and social lines.

Although high scores recognize academic excellence, standing first in a class should not be the motivation, as it produces more disappointments than the sense of achievements

“The experiential learning only complements the academia. I strongly believe that education should not be pushed through competition. Although high scores recognize academic excellence, standing first in a class should not be the motivation, as it produces more disappointments than the sense of achievements. IB has a great role to play in this regard,” opines Samik, who believes that every student is unique.

Being a Great Leader
Samik always strives to implement his beliefs, clutching his unparalleled ability to shoulder the team, including the management and teachers as well as students, his willingness to take the responsibility of the whole team’s welfare, and his propensity to look for solutions rather than villains in predicaments within the campus. He has tried and managed to live up to that reputation effectively. His passion towards science, arts, skills in writing screenplays, engagement with sports and adventure have only added to him being the student-favorite.

When asked about his advice to the budding education leaders, he keeps it in simple words, “If you have an idea that needs to be implemented within the campus, you must plan the resources ahead by cutting expenses. You shouldn’t wait for the imaginary funds.”

Samik Ghosh, Director, Calorx Olive International School
Samik has over 35 years of experience in the field of education out of which over 19 years as Principal of prominent schools. He has guided new generation schools towards establishing a positive reputation and achieving the goals envisaged and also led highly reputed Residential Public Schools with over a hundred years’ legacy. . He comes from a family of teachers and educators.